New Municipal Branch Library System Set to Begin Operations July 1

Beginning July 1, 2009, the Central Library of the Providence Public Library (PPL) and the nine city-wide neighborhood library branches will be operated independently. As of this date, the City of Providence and the newly formed Providence Community Library will take over operation of the city’s neighborhood branches. PPL will continue to operate the downtown Central Library and the Statewide Reference Resource Center at 150 Empire Street. Central Library services and resources will be fully accessible.

Providence Community Library and many of the Friends’ groups at library branches are planning special events to celebrate this reorganization that guarantee all library branches will remain open. We will post events as we hear about them. If you would like to help, volunteer, or donate items needed to help Providence Community Library, please contact them.

The PPL Board of Trustees held its last meeting today, June 18, prior to the pending launch of the new municipal branch library system on July 1 and passed this resolution:

The Providence Public Library extends its best wishes to the new Providence Branch Library system and the Providence Community Library. We applaud the City for recognizing branch libraries are one of the most important municipal services to residents in City neighborhoods. We applaud the PCL for its hard work in designing a strong branch system that is community based. The residents of Providence will be well served by the combination of a healthy municipal branch system and a robust Central library that will provide for a broad yet intimate spectrum of library services.

New Central Library Hours to Begin July 6
Providence Public Library will be OPEN Wednesday, July 1, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Thursday, July 2, Noon-8:00 pm, and CLOSED Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4. The Central Library’s new schedule will be in effect beginning Monday, July 6.

Additional information about Library programs and services, including access to the statewide AskRI online reference services are available at www.provlib.org. Open hours and services at each of the neighborhood branch libraries will continue. More detailed information regarding the new branch library system may be obtained at www.providencecommunitylibrary.org.

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To commemorate the transfer of library operations from Providence Public Library to Providence Community Library on July 1, local libraries will be marking this historic event, with celebrations at each of the nine libraries. To start, a day of amnesty has been declared on library fines, meaning that overdue books owned by the nine libraries can be returned without charge. Ribbons will be cut to open each building that day, and books will ceremonially be relayed from neighborhood to neighborhood over the course of the afternoon. The relay kicks off at the Knight Memorial branch at 2:30 pm, traveling counter-clockwise around the city and arriving back on Elmwood Avenue at 7:00 pm. Commemorative T-shirts will also be for sale at every library.

Additionally, each branch planned its own celebration for the day. The activities will include karaoke at Olneyville Library, origami lessons at Rochambeau and a cookout at Smith Hill. “This is an exciting day for the city of Providence,” says Matthew Lawrence, one of the organizers of the celebrations. “It’s also a great opportunity for people to rediscover their neighborhood libraries, and a chance for each neighborhood to show off for an afternoon.”

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